Defending champions Australia made a winning start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Sri Lanka, batting first on a challenging pitch, struggled to build a substantial partnership, losing wickets at regular intervals. Chamari Athapaththu, their captain, was dismissed early for a low score. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshika Silva made valuable contributions, but the team was unable to post a competitive total, finishing with 93 for 7.
Megan Schutt led the Australian bowling attack, taking three wickets in a fiery spell. Sophie Molineux and Ashleigh Gardner also made significant contributions with their bowling.
In response, Australia's batting lineup comfortably chased down the target, securing a comfortable victory. The win moved Australia to second in the table with a net run rate of +1.908. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, remained at the bottom of the table after losing both their matches.